They Can't Take That Away From Me
by Rhiev
Summary: Gibbs goes swing dancing and meets a very intriguing woman. Mainly GibbsOC, dashes of TIVA, and some hints to McAbby. Slightly AU in that Jenny is still around. Please R/R! Rated T but may change in later chapters. Chapter 12 up!
1. Would You Like to Dance?

A/N: This is my first foray into NCIS fanfiction. Any thoughts, ideas, constructive critcism is always welcome.

Disclaimer: None of the NCIS characters are mine. Catalina and any other character you don't recognize is mine!

* * *

Gibbs wondered again for the umpteenth time why he'd agreed to accompany Abby. Dancing wasn't really his thing. Though watching her swing across the floor, it almost made him want to step away from the wall he was leaning on and join her on the floor. Abruptly the song ended and Abby came bounding over to the corner where he was hiding.

"Gibbs! Why aren't you dancing?!" She gave him a million-watt smile and stood in front of him waiting for an answer.

He stifled a small sigh and smiled affectionately down at his resident Lab Rat. "Because... I don't dance."

"But Gibbs! Everyone swing dances!"

He merely raised an eyebrow.

"Okay... maybe not everyone. But you've gotta admit, it looks pretty fun!" Abby's cheerful effervescent personality was once again busting through Gibbs' stone exterior and he smiled again.

"Yes, it does look fun."

"So Dance!" She began tugging on his arm, trying to inch him closer to the dance floor. Fortunately for Gibbs, he was much stronger than Abby and he stayed put where he was.

Abby turned around and was already preparing her "Gibbsie-please-do-this-for-me-just-this-once" face when a woman walked up to them.

"Excuse me, she said turning to Gibbs, I was wondering if you'd like to dance?"

Gibbs looked at her and began assessing her with a critcal eye. Long, thick brown hair fell in waves over her shoulders as she stood with a half smile on her rather pretty heart-shaped face. Her pale skin only served to highlight her bright green eyes that were crinkled in amusement as she watched him complete his assessment of her. She was wearing a purple tank top and a black skirt which seemed to float about her as it accentuated her slim figure.

In the two seconds his took him to take her all in, Abby had been doing some assessing of her own. She'd never seen Gibbs look at a woman like that before. He was almost Tony-like in the way he looked at her. An idea sprang into her head.

"Yes! He'd loooove to dance with you!!" Abby cried as she pushed Gibbs' toward the unknown woman.

"Abby..." The growl in Gibbs' voice did not intimidate like was intended. All it ilicited was a grin and a cheery wave from the perpetraitor as he found himself being led out onto the dance floor by the strange woman.

* * *

I had spotted him the moment he walked in. The Goth next to his side, I recognized as one of the sister's regulars. She had dropped her bag on the floor and immediately run out to dance with her regular dance partner and left the man alone. I noticed the wry expression on his face as he watched the woman he came with spin around the floor. I knew that look all too well. He was one of the ones who got dragged along because they couldn't say no to her and ended up feeling awkward the entire time because they weren't dancing. From my position by the water cooler, I could hear the gossip already beginning to form from the regulars who always noticed someone new.

_"Ooh, look at what the Goth dragged in..."_

_"Damn, what I wouldn't give to be single..."_

_"Maybe one of us should go and ask him to dance..."_

_"I bet he's Abby's sugar daddy..."_

At that last bit, I stood up and decided that I'd really give them something to talk about. I walked over to them and watched Abby try to cajole the man, whom she called Gibbs out onto the dance floor. When I saw his expression as he looked at her, I knew that he definitely was not her sugar daddy as Megan had so ineloquently put it. That was a look of affectionate exasperation that father's give their daughter's. I ought to know- I got that look more than once when I was younger.

As she began to tug futilely at his arm, trying to drag him onto the floor, I stepped in.

"Excuse me, I was wondering if you'd like to dance?"

I saw his eyes narrow slightly as he quickly gave me a once over. I felt a tingle run up and down my spine as his gaze ran over my body, that I suppressed with a smile. I gave him a closer look as well. Silver hair, blue eyes, well built body, stance good, balance good...I could feel my mind shift to a more professional assessment and I stopped. Tonight was for fun, not business. He was dressed in a simple grey button-up shirt and charcoal slacks. I stood waiting for an answer that came from an unexpected source.

"Yes! He'd loooove to dance with you!!" Abby quickly gave Gibbs a shove in my direction. Taking her cue, I grabbed his right hand in my left and began walking toward the dance floor where a new song was starting. _A_ _gentleman,_ I thought, when he didn't resist or pull back. _Or maybe he's just curious_, my mind whispered. The only sign he gave to show his annoyence was a growled "Abby..." Hearing his voice sound so gruff, another shiver snaked over my body as I thought of that voice being directed at me.

I turned around and into his arms. His hands went to exactly the right places and we began to move in time to the music. I cocked an eyebrow.

"I was under the impression you couldn't dance?" Skeptism was evident in my voice and I was suprised when he laughed.

"I never said I couldn't, just that I didn't." He smiled as he took me through several turns in quick succession and we ended in the closed position. My body was pressed against his and I could smell him. I inhaled deeply. _Sort of like a musky lumber yard,_ I thought.

"You never told me your name." His voice came from above and I looked up at him gazing down at me.

"Catalina, and you are...?"

He hesitated a fraction of a second before answering me.

"Jethro, call me Jethro"


	2. Running Away Doesn't Fix Anything

A/N: Thanks to all of you that have reviewed! It really spurred me to get this next chapter up. Again, any thoughts, ideas, or constructive criticism is always welcome.

Disclaimer: I own nothing about NCIS but Catalina is my own.

* * *

_Catalina..._Jethro rolled her name around his in brain. Something tugged at his memory but it left as quickly as it came. He looked down at her again.

"Jethro, call me Jethro."

Her smile as she heard his name made his heart skip a beat. It seemed to radiate warmth and light and he had a split second thought that he'd do anything, anything to make her smile like that again.

All too soon the song ended and she stepped out of his arms. He had an impulse to ask to dance again but that was dashed as another man stepped up and claimed her for the next dance. He walked back to where Abby was standing.

Gibbs sighed. Abby had that look on her face that said she would be pestering him until he talked about Catalina enough for her satisfaction.

"Gibbs! You said you couldn't dance!"Abby's indignant words were at war with the grin hovering around her face.

"No, I said I didn't dance, not couldn't."

"So... what's her name? What's she do? Is she single?" She looked almost ready to jump up and down with anticipation.

"Catalina, I don't know and I don't know." He moved to lean back against the wall as he watched Catalina whirl around the floor with her unknown partner.

"You should go ask her to dance again!" Abby was standing next to his side watching him watch her spin around. "Gibbs..."

Jethro looked down at her. "What?"

"Just go ask her to dance already." This time her gaze was serious as it looked at him.

"Abby..." He was torn, between wanting to do exactly what Abby suggested and his other impulse to just walk away and go home.

He was saved from having to decide when Catalina walked back over to them.

Abby smiled and nonchalantly walked off to join Ben on the floor. He was her regular dance partner whenever she came alone.

Gibbs just stood there for a moment, staring.

"Hello... do you want to dance again?" She smiled up at him with expectation.

He tossed the idea around in his head like a tennis ball for all of 3 seconds before smiling back and taking her hand. "I'd love to."

This time it was Jethro leading her out on the floor.

As they spun around the floor, faster and faster, he began to see why Abby liked dancing. Fast paced music made the heart race and adrenaline start pumping. As he sent Catalina out into another turn, he caught a glimpse of her face, radiant with happiness as she twirled. Her skirt flared out and he saw a flash of creamy leg before he finished the turn and brought her back into his arms. He swallowed and looked down at the woman in his arms. _So beautiful, and yet there's something about her...Can't put my finger on it yet...,_ he thought to himself.

Jethro heard the music start to slow and so he spun her out only to bring her back in for a dip as the music ended. He heard her laugh as he dipped her down and as he brought her back up, she was still laughing.

"Why, Jethro, I didn't know you had a dip in you!" Catalina grinned mischievously at him. They stood there for a moment just looking at each other until he noticed a man walking their way.

"Lina, darling, may I have this dance?" The tall, dark man merely glanced at Jethro before turning his full attention on Catalina. She smiled but stepped closer to Jethro, who instinctively put an arm about her waist.

"Thanks for the offer, Alejandro, but I'm afraid I'll overheat if I take the next dance. Jethro here is quite the dancer when he chooses to be. We were just going to step outside for some fresh air." She patted the man on the arm and Jethro turned them both towards the door.

"Overheat? Did I really tire you out?" he asked, with an eyebrow raised.

She smiled and as they walked outside she finally answered him.

"No, you didn't. I just wanted a quieter place to talk to you and Alejandro wouldn't have left me alone if I'd stayed inside. He's quite persistent." She walked over to a bench underneath a streetlamp and sat down.

"Come sit with me."

* * *

I was glad to be outside in the cool night air, away from the press of bodies and endless chatter. I was even gladder that Jethro had come with me. Alejandro wouldn't have stopped until he got what he wanted which was becoming more and more obvious as time progressed. Dancing with Jethro was invigorating and fun. He had surprised me with the dip at the end. I hadn't expected that.

Actually I hadn't expected to even enjoy my night but thanks to Jethro, I could safely say I had. As he took a seat next to me on the bench, I took a deep breath to steady the nerves that had abruptly started tingling.

"So..., he said lightly tapping his left hand against his thigh, How did you get your name? It's not a very common name."

I smiled. "My mother was born and raised in Spain. Catalina is very common there and she always favored the story of Princess Catalina who became Henry VIII's first wife. She told me that it took great courage to be alone in a foreign land and that at times she felt a kinship with the long-dead princess."

"What about you? Where did Jethro come from?"

His mouth twisted in a wry grin. "Ah, my name is not nearly so famous. I was named after my grandfather, both of them actually. Jethro- for my mother's father and Leroy- for my father's father."

"Leroy? Is that your middle name?"

"No, it's actually my first but I prefer to be called Jethro. Or Gibbs, my team always calls me Gibbs."

"And Gibbs is your last name?" He nodded. " What kind of team do you coach?" I was pretty sure he wasn't a coach of anything but instinct was telling me that asking indirect questions would get me the most informative answers.

"I sometimes wonder if I work with children all day long but no, I don't coach a team. I am the head of a NCIS team. It means Naval Criminal..." I cut him short as I finished his sentence for him.

"...Investigative Service." _How ironic, Fornell is going to laugh when he hears this one,_ I thought.

"So you're familiar with us... Are you in the military?" I could see the professional side of the man step up to the plate and reassess everything he knew about me.

"No, someone I work with is in frequent contact with NCIS though so after hearing it said a few times, I eventually caught on." I smiled.

"Ah." I could almost see the wheels in his head turning, rethinking what I'd said. Deciding that I wanted to stop talking about subjects that would lead to discussing my line of work, I leaned my head onto his shoulder.

As I predicted, he froze instantaneously but only for a microsecond before relaxing ever so slightly. I gave a little sigh. "It's a beautiful night out tonight don't you think?"

"Yes, it is. Would you like to take a walk?" I glanced up to see him gazing at me with an almost unfathomable expression. I gazed back into those bright blue eyes, getting lost for a moment. I was snapped out of my trance by a snap of fingers and I blinked, slightly shaking my head. He was still looking at me but this time, his eyes were crinkled in amusement and he wore a grin that would rival the Cheshire Cat's.

"Off in space, Catalina?" I felt the heat begin to stain my features with a bright red and I stood up, embarrassed I'd been caught ogling him. Beginning to walk at a crisp pace along the sidewalk away from the dance hall and bench, I heard Jethro hurry to catch up.

His hand on my shoulder stopped me mid-stride. I turned to look up at him again. _Nope, bad idea. Look away..._ I returned my gaze to the ground. I felt my heart start to beat faster as his hand moved from my shoulder to my neck. I'm sure he could feel the jump in my pulse because I felt him smile.

"Hey...Didn't anyone ever telling you that running away doesn't fix anything?" Amusement laced through his voice along with a gruff undertone that made me think of the emotion with which he'd said Abby's name earlier.

I looked up again, intending to banter with him but the retort died on my lips as I saw his head descending towards mine.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Everything seemed magnified. My watch ticking, the wind blowing through the trees, the fast beat of my heart in contrast with his slow and steady beat.

As our lips met, I involuntarily moved closer and curled a hand around his neck. His hands were caressing my neck and back, sending shivers down my spine. I let out a tiny gasp and, taking it as invitation, Jethro deepened the kiss. Our tongues danced together and it seemed to me that it was perfectly choreographed. I pressed closer and felt a stab of satisfaction when his arms tightened their grip around me.

It seemed we stood there forever, when in reality it was only a few minutes, until a ringing began from my skirt pocket. We broke apart, desparately trying to catch our breath. I reached into my pocket and pulled the phone out, holding up a finger to Jethro.

"Hang on," I mouthed to him. "Catalina."

"That's okay," he signed. I looked at him in surprise, _he knew sign language? The hits just kept on coming._ I smiled and turned my attention back to the phone call.

"Catalina, you need to leave now. The surveillance team says they've spotted Alejandro heading towards your car and he doesn't look happy. Call a cab and leave. I don't want you in danger." Tobias' voice sounded calm and cool but I could detect a slight urgency in his voice. He really was worried about me.

"Alright T.C. I'll leave right now. Don't worry about me. I've got a well trained NCIS agent with me." I looked at Jethro who looked slightly confused at my mischievous grin.

"NCIS agent? Who?"

"One Leroy Jethro Gibbs to be precise."

I grinned again, picturing Tobias' face as he processed this information "You... You're with Jethro? Jethro Gibbs?"

"Yes, he's actually quite a good dancer, once he puts his mind to it. But don't worry about me T.C. He'll make sure I make it home okay. Won't you, Jethro?" I put out a hand and, when he placed his in mine, drew him close.

"Yes, of course." He was still looking at me with an air of confusion and now frustration.

"See? Don't worry. I'll call you tomorrow. Bye T.C." I hung up the phone and smiled up at the man who would now be escorting me home.

"What was all that about?" He glanced questioningly at the phone then back at me.

"Oh just work, that's all. I'll be able to explain more tomorrow. However it appears my ride for the evening has been made unavailable which is why I so ungraciously volunteered you for the job. I'm sorry for that by the way. I can call a cab if you don't want to..." I trailed off as he held up a hand to silence me. The other hand was flipping open his cell phone and dialing someone.

"Abbs? ...Yeah, I know I wandered off. Listen, can you get a ride home tonight?... McGee's coming to pick you up? Okay, good. See you Monday Abbs." He flipped his phone closed and looked at me.

"I'm all yours." I bit my lip.

"Oh there are so many ways I could take that..."

He smiled almost cockily and said, "Let just concentrate on getting you home safely first. My car's just right over here."

We walked to it and he opened the passenger side door for me. Yup, definitely a gentleman. He climbed in the other side and started the car. I took a deep breath to steady my nerves. Then the car started actually moving...

I had no idea how much I'd need nerves of steel until I drove with Leroy Jethro Gibbs.


	3. All The Pieces Fall Into Place

A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! It really motivates me to hurry up and write the next chapter. This one would've been up yesterday but there was an NCIS marathon on USA and I couldn't tear myself away from the tv long enough to write a decent amount.

Just FYI: I prefer to write in first person so most of the story will be from Catalina's POV but there will be at least one section in each chapter, be it long or short, where it gives you an overview of what's going on with the rest of the NCIS universe.

Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) own nothing about any of the NCIS characters but Catalina is my own.

* * *

We arrived at my house all in one piece thankfully. My hand had been gripping the passenger side arm rest almost the entire way, until Gibbs had noticed and had merely raised an eyebrow. I smiled weakly and just settled for clasping my hands together in my lap, until the knuckles turned white. _'God the man drives like a maniac_,' I had thought. _'I hope he doesn't handle his women how he handles his cars._'

He got out and came around to my side of the car to open my door for me. I smiled and began the walk up to my front door. I stood there for a moment, trying to decide if I should invite him in or not. There was a part of me that wanted to throw caution to the wind but the other, much more logical part, said that if I did, I might never get what I really wanted. Because I really wanted Jethro.

Pulling my house key out of my pocket, I unlocked the front door and stepped inside, turning to face him. He wore a half smile that seemed to warm the part of me that so eagerly wanted me to invite him inside.

"Thanks for taking me home. I know it's probably out of your way, but really... thank you." I gave him my own half-smile. "So I'll see you at dancing next week, right?"

He looked up and away for a minute, his smile growing broader. "I don't know about that. We'll see."

"Oh come on, you mean you don't want to dance with me again?" I wore an expression of sadness and saw his features soften, just slightly.

"I didn't say that. Swing dancing with you was fun, but that's not really my kind of dancing."

"Oh, really? What kind of dancing do you prefer?" I was intrigued. Jethro was obviously a man of many hidden talents and I intended on discovering most, if not all, of them.

"Jazz. It's much smoother and you learn a lot more about a person when you dance with them while jazz is playing." His sapphire eyes seemed to be drawing me in as he spoke. I blinked quickly. I couldn't afford to let my mind wander to places it shouldn't go... yet.

"Well then. Looks like we should go to a jazz club." A saucy smile hovered about my lips.

"Sounds like a date. Friday night work for you? About 7:00?" He looked rather smug, as if I'd played right into his hands, which I had but I'd done it knowing full well what he'd intended.

"Perfect. Looks like you've got yourself a date Jethro." I grinned and leaned on my door jamb.

He stepped closer to me until our faces were almost touching. "So it seems." I could feel his breath on my neck and my pulse began to pick up pace. I swallowed and inhaled a deep breath. _Mmm... there's that fresh-out-of-the-lumber-yard smell... God that's good._ His right hand came to rest on the door frame I was leaning against and his head began it's descent towards mine. I moved to meet him and our lips met in a soft, gentle kiss.

After a few moments, Jethro stepped back and smiled. "Goodnight Catalina."

"Good night... Jethro."

He turned and walked down the steps to his car. I stood there watching him as he pulled out of my driveway and into the street. Returning his wave with one of my own, I finally closed the door and walked into my house.

It wasn't a very big house as it was only me who lived there. I had a rather eclectic taste in furniture and people often commented that it looked as if I had a piece from every era. Antique chairs looked out of place next to a '70s hand chair but to me, it fit.

I walked down the stairs to my basement bedroom, dropping my key on my bedside table.

Jethro had been quite a nice surprise at dancing. I had only gone to keep collecting information on Alejandro Rojas. We were pretty sure he was responsible for the death of two of our female agents that frequented the swing dance studio. My assignment had been to get close enough to him that he'd start talking then we'd nab him. It was proving a harder task than I'd originally anticipated. He only sporadically showed up and to make matters worse, the only interest he was showing to me was getting me in bed. Not spilling his guts about murdering two women. I understood Fornell's thinking that a woman would get easier access to him but not where it mattered.

_Leroy Jethro Gibbs... So **that's** Fornell's friend at NCIS._ I'd always heard the odd bits and pieces from Sacks now and then but to actually meet the man in person was an unparalleled experience. I wondered at Gibbs reaction when he found out I was one of Tobias' agents. _Hmm...that will indeed be an interesting conversation_, I mused. I shook my head. I needed sleep.

Turning off the lights, I climbed under the covers, fully clothed, too tired to undress. As I drifted off to sleep, my only thought was wondering where he got his cologne.

* * *

As Gibbs drove home, he thought about his evening. The only thing he'd anticipated had been boredom. Boredom wasn't even in the same realm as what his night had really consisted of.

Catalina... Catalina who? He began to think about their conversation and realized she now knew his full name and where he worked, but he hadn't a clue as to hers. Replaying the conversation in his head, he began to recognize the subtle interrogation technique she'd used. He'd been too caught up in Catalina, the woman, he hadn't bothered playing attention to Catalina, the...agent...or whatever she was. A suspicion began to form in the back of his mind.

He grabbed his phone and started dialing.

A sleepy female voice answered on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Jen, it's me. I need to ask you a question and I need you to be straight with me." His voice became deeper, slightly gruffer as it always did when he talked to his director.

"What is it Jethro?" She sounded tired and slightly annoyed.

"Do we have any agents undercover at the moment? Any female agents to be specific?" His heart stopped beating for a moment, waiting to hear her answer.

"No, Jethro, we don't have any female agents undercover at the moment. Why are you asking?" Her curiosity was piqued.

"Just wondered. Thanks Jenny... Sorry for waking you up. See you Monday." His mind began racing again. Who could she be?

"Good night Jethro."

As he hung up the phone, Gibbs ran through the list of possibilities. She could be lying to him and really be in the military or she could be part of another one of the numerous agencies that the government was riddled with.

As he parked his car in the driveway of his house, he sat for a moment. _Maybe going and working on his boat would clear his head... Yes, that would do the trick._

Having decided, he made his way into his house and then subsequently, down to the basement.

A few hours later and he had come to a conclusion. She hadn't been lying, but she'd successfully evaded his questions and distracted him enough to where he hadn't noticed. She had definitely been trained by the government. Question was... what branch?_ She could be CIA, CIS, FBI... FBI... T.C. ... Who has the initials T.C.?..._ His mind kept nagging at him. There was something he was missing. He was close but no dice... yet...

His mind kept turning it over and over until finally it hit him.

"Fornell... She works for Fornell." All the pieces clicked into place and it suddenly all made sense. The phone call, the mentioning of his name. _Tobias is going to get an earful_, Gibbs thought. _But first... it's time to play a game with his agent._ Gibbs smiled. He knew just the way to do it too.


	4. Kitchen Antics

A/N: Thanks for all the upbeat reviews! I'm trying really hard to keep churning out chapters for you all. I know how I hate to wait for new ones.

I know it's been mainly Gibbs/Catalina but I promise the rest of the team is just around the corner.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of NCIS but Catalina is mine.

* * *

I was in the middle of tying my running shoes when there was a knock on my door. 'Who would be here at 5:30 in the morning knocking on my door?' I thought, glancing at my watch. I was preparing for my morning run, something I did every day without fail.

I opened my door and, to my surprise, saw Leroy Jethro Gibbs on my front porch in a well worn NIS sweatshirt and jogging pants, holding two cups of steaming coffee in his hands.

He didn't wait for an invitation, he just strode right on in.

"I didn't know how you took your coffee so I made it like mine," he said, handing me a cup.

I arched an eyebrow at his statement. "I don't like cream, sugar, or milk. I prefer it straight black." I started to hand the cup back to him but he stopped me.

"Neither do I." Looking down into the cup of coffee, I took a deep whiff of its aroma. All I smelled was just the scent of rich, perfectly brewed coffee.

After taking a sip, I gave a little contented sigh. "Now **_that's_** good coffee. Where'd you get it? The cafe around the corner?"

"Nope, he said taking a sip of his own, I made it myself." I shot him an impressed glance as I began to down the rest of my coffee. Running with hot coffee in one hand was never a good idea, especially when it looked like Jethro was going to be joining me. Though how he knew I'd be jogging at such an early hour both piqued my interest and also raised a red flag.

Finishing my coffee, I walked to the kitchen to throw the cup in the trash can, glancing over my shoulder at Jethro as I did so. He was watching me with a slightly smirky look, while sipping his own cup of coffee.

Returning to the living, I grabbed my windbreaker and pulled it over my head. Taking out a hair-tie, I began to put my hair up in a messy ponytail as I moved towards the door. "Ready to go?"

At this Jethro did smile, as he set his still unfinished cup of coffee on the small table right next to the door. "Yup. Let's go."

I pointed to the half finished coffee. "Don't you want to finish that?"

"Oh, that's my third cup this morning. I think the rest of it can wait." I shot him a look of mingled surprise and admiration. A man that could drink that much coffee without becoming majorly hyperactive was clearly a man with a very good constitution.

"We're going to be gone for the better part of an hour. It'll be cold when we get back..."

"That's fine."

I was about to ask him what he'd been doing at my house in the first place but all of a sudden, he took off jogging down my driveway. He paused for a moment when he came to the street.

"You coming or what?" I thought I detected a hint of laughter in his voice but pushed that thought to the side as I hurriedly shut my door and took off after him. I threw the lanyard that held my spare house key over my head as I went, tucking into the windbreaker. As soon as he heard my footsteps on the pavement, he picked up speed and I was forced to kick it up a notch to catch him.

As I finally pulled along side him, I was struggling to not breathe heavily and to slow my rapid heartbeat to a more manageable rate. A smile danced around his face for a fraction of a second and then it was gone.  
We ran in silence for several minutes, our only communication was turning when I pointed. Eventually, my breathing eased and my body settled into the comfortable rhythm I could always find on my runs. I watched him out of the corner of my eye as we ran. Never a misstep, no signs of tiring, no difficulty breathing. Impressive. At the two mile marker, I finally decided to head for home and we both turned, in sync, back the way we'd come. We'd both slowed down slightly but not enough to call it a trot. I felt it would be a good time to broach the subject of how and why he knew I ran and when. The questions had been circling in my head for most of the run but I'd been trying to figure out the best way to approach him. I didn't want to make him defensive but I didn't want to make him feel that it was okay to show up uninvited at my home.

"Jethro, I..." The words died on my lips as he put on a burst of speed that came seemingly from out of nowhere and shot ahead of me. I could've sworn that he had been grinning just before he'd taken off but I just glared after him. My nostrils flared and I pursed my lips in irritation. _'Stubborn, snarly...male...'_ I ran, trying to catch up but he kept just ahead of me. It continued all the way until we'd reached my house. Finally he stopped on my front stoop and waited for me.

When I arrived, I was less than happy- to say the least.

"Didn't someone tell me that running away doesn't fix anything?" I huffed as I grabbed my spare house key from the cord around my neck. Unlocking the door, I immediately went to the kitchen for a glass of water.

"Hmm, guess that someone's never tried physically running. Seems quite efficient to me." Jethro followed me to the kitchen and leaned against the counter, watching me as I gulped down my water.

I was still simmering under the surface when suddenly it boiled over to full-fledged anger as I realized he'd played me. The whole morning had been a set up. By who? Only someone who knew me personally knew when I went running and the only person who knew me that Leroy Jethro Gibbs would know was Fornell.

I turned around to get a handle on my temper before it flared and I acted rashly. I stood there for a moment, getting my breathing under control. Once I had, I turned back around, fire in my eyes.

* * *

Gibbs smiled as he watched Catalina turn away from him. She'd put the pieces together like he knew a good agent would. He'd called Tobias around 3am and told him he wanted to know Catalina's habits. Fornell had be hesitant to breach confidence on one of his own but after some persistence Tobias had caved. Gibbs was one of his best friends and he knew that Jethro would just camp outside her house until he'd learned her habits for himself.

_'She runs, every morning around 5:30 or so. And Jethro? If you mention my name at all, I'll make sure you'll live just long enough to regret it.'_

_'Don't worry Tobias, I'm sure if she's as smart as you say she is, she'll figure it out on her own...'_

Catalina turned around. Her mouth was set in a grim line and there was an angry glint to her eyes that had him smiling at the sight.

Gibbs walked towards her and saw her body brace for an impact that never came. His smile widened as he saw her nostrils flare slightly while he gazed down at her. Their faces were inches apart.

_She looks mad enough to punch me... but yet she's just standing here, glaring at me hard enough to bore holes through me. Interesting..._

Leaning down, he put his mouth next to her ear and, feeling her tense up, whispered, "I just want you to know that you are quite adorable when you get angry."

Pulling back, he saw her open her mouth to shoot some retort back at him but his lips captured hers before she could get a word out. His hand came up automatically to cradle her cheek. Slowly, bit by bit, she began to relax into the kiss. Her hands rose up of their own accord to caress his arms and neck. As he deepened the kiss, he felt her nails dig in slightly to his back. Recognizing the time to stop, he pulled away from her, feeling a jolt of satisfaction when a low groan escaped her lips at the censure of contact.

Giving her a quick kiss on the forehead, he dropped his hands from her face and began heading for the door.

"Hey... what... where do you think you're going?" He stopped, his hand on the front door knob, and looked back at her.

Her eyes were glazed, her lips slightly parted as if in remembrance of their kiss and she looked at him in confusion and surprise.

Jethro gave a half smile. "Home. I've got to shower before church."

Catalina cocked her head to the side and she stared at him quizzically.

"What?"

"Church... you? Really?" She sounded so skeptical, he laughed out loud.

"Yes, really. I do go to church though only sporadically now." He watched her purse her lips, obviously considering something.

She came towards him, coming to stand in front of him, blocking the door.

"You could shower here..." Her voice trailed off as she looked into his ice blue eyes. Gibbs was sorely tempted for a moment, when he saw her tongue wet her lips as she waited for an answer.

"Sorry, but I'm afraid I'll have take a rain check."

"Oh." Catalina's face showed her disappointment for only a minute before she hid it behind a cool professional mask. She quickly moved away from the door.

She stopped next to the staircase leading downstairs and turned back around. "Please lock the door when you leave." With that she quickly descended the stairs and Gibbs heard a door open and shut. He stared after her for a few moments. He hadn't meant to hurt her, merely prolong this game he was playing with her. A game he'd thought she'd recognized earlier in the kitchen. _Damn women..._ He looked at his hand on the door and back to the stairs she'd descended. Door. Stairs. Door. Stairs. Door. Stairs. _Damn it... stairs it is._


	5. Who's that!

A/N: Sorry for the long period between updates. I'm planning my wedding and this last week was wedding week. The updates should be coming on a much more frequent basis than this and I do apologize. Thanks again for all the reviews, they really help me when I'm stuck.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of NCIS but Catalina and any other character you do not recognize is mine.

* * *

I couldn't believe what an idiot I had been. Offering to let him shower here? God I was entirely too distracted by the sexual tension between us to think clearly. "I barely know him and here he shows up at my house at the crack of dawn with coffee and instead of interrogating him like I should've been I'm letting him kiss me! And worse! I like it! God I am so stupid!" I was too busy ranting at myself to notice the creak that heralded someone on the stairs.

"Soy tan est?ido! Madre me matar?! Adrian solo golpe en cierto sentido me!" I'd reverted to Spanish as I always did when I got really upset. I was pacing a circuit around my bedroom, quite agitatedly. I started shedding clothes as I went, throwing them haphazardly around my room. I was down to my bra and panties when, on my third pass, coming back towards my door, I noticed it was open. I froze.

Jethro stood there, eyes wide as they took in the clothes thrown everywhere and me, in my underwear. I saw his Adams apple bob as he swallowed hard and it snapped me back to reality.

"Oh, Dios mio!" I bolted into my adjoining bathroom and slammed the door shut.

"I thought you were leaving!," I shrieked as I heard him walk into my room and come closer to the bathroom door.

"Not yet. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine! Now will you please go away?!" I grabbed a towel off the rack and wrapped it's length around my body. I cracked the door open just enough to peek out at Jethro.

He had another one of those smirky smiles hovering around his face, which he quickly wiped off as he saw my eye peering at him through the crack in the door.

"Aren't you going??" I was calming down enough to begin to think clearly.

"Well if you come out here for a moment, I will."

Making sure the towel was wrapped securely around my body, I opened the door all the way and stepped out.

"Okay, now you can go." I was feeling exposed and my hands were itching for my gun. Feeling vulnerable didn't sit well with me. I saw it sitting on my dresser, a few feet away.

"So who's Adrian?" My gaze jerked back to the man in front me in shock.

"You said Adrian should smack some sense into you. So who's Adrian?" A muscle in Jethro's jaw was twitching as he waited for my answer.

"He's my brother. As if that's any of your business, which it's not." I crossed my arms.

He looked as if he was going to say something but my phone rang. I picked it up and answered it. "Catalina."

"Catalina, get out of your house. Now." Tobias' voice was panicked and that panicked me. I had never known him to act anything less than calm, cool and professional.

"Why?" Gibbs was watching me closely and he knew, by the change in my body language, something wasn't right.

"Alejandro just pulled up outside. The surveillance unit planted a tracking unit on his car and it looks like he's going to try and break in. Get out of there now! Put Gibbs on the phone!" At that last bit, my eyes narrowed. _So. Fornell had sold me out to Gibbs. Well that was a talk I'd have to have later._

I threw the phone at Gibbs, as I rushed around, picking up and putting clothes. I ripped the towel away from me and threw it down as I shimmied into a pair of jeans. I was pulling a fitted t-shirt over my head when I heard a crash of glass breaking upstairs. I ran to my dresser, grabbing my badge and gun, loading it as I turned around. Jethro had his gun drawn and was next to the entrance to my bedroom. Slipping a pair of discarded flats on, I gestured to him to come into the bathroom. The bathroom had two doors, one which led to my utility room that had a cellar door, leading outside. I grabbed his hand as soon as he was close enough and began leading him through the darkened rooms. He paused long enough to shut the doors quietly as we left each room.

He saw my raised eyebrow. He leaned in closely, his breath hot on my ear. "Gives us more time. Keep going." I turned and led him to the cellar door.

"It's going to make alot of noise," I warned.

"Okay so we only get one chance. As soon as it's open, run to my car, start it and wait for me. If I'm not there in 2 minutes, you leave." The stare he leveled at me didn't brook any questions or argument. Together we put our shoulders up against the heavy wood and pushed with all our might. A loud creaking groan sounded as the wood gave way with a thud. I froze as I heard heavy, hurried footsteps down my stairs. A shove from Jethro brought me back to reality.

"Go!" He hissed at me as he tossed his keys to me. I broke out into a dead run towards his car parked in front of my house. Throwing open the driver's door, I thrust the key into the ignition and started the car. I slammed the door shut, threw the car in gear and waited, hands gripping the wheel until my knuckles turned white. The seconds seemed to tick by.

The sound of gunshots made my heart jump into my throat and I watched the side of my house anxiously. _Where is he??_

Suddenly, I saw him round the corner at a dead run. I flung the passenger side door open for him and he slid into the seat. "Go!" The order was barked. The door slammed shut and I pealed out just as Alejandro came around the corner, gun leveled at the car. He fired a few shots but missed. As he faded from the rearview, I looked at Gibbs.

"Where are we going??"

"My office."

* * *

Ziva was just waking up to the smell of bacon and eggs when her phone buzzed. "Yes?....Right. On my way." Sliding out of bed, she began pulling clothes from her closet and laying them on the bed.

A soft knock had her turning and holding the bedroom door open for Tony as the tray he carried in was rather cumbersome. "So, I've got a little bit of everything for you this morning. I think I burnt the bacon but it still smells really good..." His voice trailed off as he saw the clothes laying on the bed. "What're you doing? I thought the bet was that I couldn't do everything that needed to be done around the house and you couldn't stop interfereing. Ha! I win! You got out of bed to show me how to cook!" His grin was almost contagious.

Ziva scoffed. "I think not. I have much more control than you do. Just because you do not know how to cook bacon properly, doesn't mean I won't let you. But that's not why I'm getting ready." She smiled at her lover with affection. "Gibbs called. We've got a case."

Tony's expression instantly changed. "Did he give you any details?" He grabbed the clothes Ziva had laid out for him and began to dress.

"No, he just said to get in the office ASAP"

* * *

Timothy McGee had been up all night long, trying to get past his writer's block. He crumpled another piece of paper and threw it behind him. He sighed. All he could think of lately was Abby. Abby in a short, black skirt. Abby's perfume as she gave him a hug. Abby's smile as she made a break in a case. Abby with a gleam in her eye as she drank her Caf-Pow. Abby, Abby, Abby.

His phone began to ring and his hand instantly jumped to it. 'Please be Abby...', he thought as he flipped his phone open.

"McGee."

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Office. Now. New case."

"On it Boss!"

Abby would have to wait. Maybe this new case would take his mind of off her.... at least for a little while.

* * *

As they sped towards the Navy Yard, Gibbs kept glancing at Catalina. Her breathing was slowly returning to normal but her knuckles were still white where they clenched the steering wheel. The look on her face was enough to keep him silent untli they reached the Yard. He directed her where to turn and flashed his badge at the guard who let them in.

Pulling into a parking stall, she threw the car in park. Gibbs glanced around. No one else was there yet.

"Come on, let's get inside." He opened the door and stepped out, only to find she was still sitting in the car. Leaning down to look in at her, he saw a lone tear escape down her cheek, which she quickly wiped away. She clmibed out of the car, turning to find him staring at her.

"What? Let's go."

They walked in silence. Jethro kept sneaking glances at Catalina when he thought she wasn't looking. Something was troubling her and he would damn well find out what.

When they got to the elevator, Gibbs pushed the button, waiting for his conference room to show up. Watching her step inside, he followed, only to hit the stop button as soon as it began moving. Feeling the elevator stop and seeing the lights dim, Catalina turned to him expectantly.

"Okay, so now what?" The biting tone she used would have put him on edge had he not seen the tear that trailed down her face moments earlier. Her eyes were flashing a brillant green and he smiled.

"Now, you calm down. You're safe here." Jethro ran a hand up and down her arm lightly as he looked at her.

"I can take care of myself. Thank you very much." She jerked away from him. "I don't need to be reassured like a child. I'm fine!"

"You know what FINE stands for?" When she shook her head, he smiled slightly. "Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional. Which is what you are."

The glare she sent him could've bored holes through his body. Reaching over to the panel, she flicked the stop button and the elevator started moving again.

Reaching their floor, Gibbs waited and Catalina exited first. She stopped, uncertain of where to go. Gibbs placed a hand on her lower back and guided her towards the bull pen. Seating her at his desk, he leaned down over her. "I'm going to go get us some more coffee. I'll be back soon. I'd suggest calling Tobias' and letting him know you're alright." He kissed the top of her head and left.

He returned a few minutes later with two steaming cups of coffee in hand. Catalina was on the phone telling someone, presumably Tobias to fax over everything they had on Alejandro Rojas.

"Thanks Tobias." She hung the phone up as she saw him approach with the coffee.

Gibbs set the coffee on the desk and leaned in to kiss her. She started for a moment, surprised at the contact but instantly softened as his hand cradled her head. They continued kissing, obliviously to everything else, including the ding of the elevator, until a voice broke through their revere.

"Now, who is that?!" Tony's loud, obnoxious voice shattered the moment Catalina and Gibbs were sharing. Straightening up, both of them turned eyes with daggers at the trio of people that were standing by the elevator, who were, in turn, looking at the two of them with outright curiousity.


	6. History

A/N: Special thanks to dg101 and babygurl1944 for faithfully reviewing every chapter! All the reviews mean alot and I promise they do keep me motivated in writing this story. I hadn't planned on including Jenny in this chapter as much as I did but I just went where the writing took me. Hope you like!

Disclaimer: I own (sadly) nothing of NCIS but Catalina and any other character you don't recognize is mine.

* * *

Ziva and Tony met McGee in the parking lot as they were walking in.

"So what do you think is it today? Marine get murdered? Navy Lieutenant go missing?" McGee looked unusually excited and eager at the prospect of a new case.

"I don't know Probie, maybe someone decided they should commit suicide just so you could come in on a Sunday." Tony looked rather annoyedly over at McGee who had the presence of mind to at least look abashed.

Ziva pushed the elevator button and waited for it to arrive. Of the three of them, she was the one most irritated at having to come in. Today had been the day she was going to beat Tony in a bet. Now it was postponed... yet again.

The elevator doors opened with a cheery ding and all three stepped into it. Riding the 30 seconds up to their floor, nothing could have prepared them all for the sight of their boss. One L.J. Gibbs. Kissing a woman. Who was seated at **his **desk.

Ziva took the first step out and stood stock still. Her eyes were trained on the couple kissing in the bullpen. Tim's jaw just hung open in disbelief. And Tony, well, Tony said the one thing that was on all their minds. "Now, who is that?!" His grin from ear to ear vanished the instant he saw Gibbs and the mystery woman turn twin deadly glares at him. Realizing he'd made a grave error, he cleared his throat.

"Uh, yeah... Sorry boss."

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs turned on his Senior Field Agent who hurriedly ran to his desk.

"David!" Ziva was already at her desk, firing up her computer.

"McGee!" Tim was the last one to move. "Wipe that look off your face."

"Yes Boss!" He hurried to his desk and started his computer as well.

"I need you to find everything you can on an Alejandro Rojas." Gibbs began barking out orders and the woman just sipped on her coffee, watching his team spring into action at his words.

Gibbs made no move to introduce the woman sitting at his desk but the rest of the team were well aware of her. Each of them couldn't help but steal glances at her when Gibbs wasn't looking.

_Hmm.... Well she's not a redhead. That's a change._

_She's an agent of some sort. She holds herself like one of us._

_She's smokin' hot. Gibbs definitely has good taste._

Catalina smiled into her coffee cup as she watched the subtle glances from Jethro's team. The man himself was alternating between glaring at his team and glancing at the fax machine that had been buzzing ever since the trio of people had arrived.

"Jethro, do you mind if I access my email from your computer? T.C. said he'd email me some information that way your fax machine wouldn't run out of paper." She smiled up him. The odd look he gave her at her reference to Fornell as T.C. went right over her head as he leaned over her and turned his monitor on. His computer was already up and running. "Go for it."

She turned and began pulling up the files Tobias had sent her. Finding the powerpoint Tobias had orginally used to get her familiar with Alejandro, Catalina opened it and loaded it onto the big screen.

"Here's what we have on Alejandro." She stood up, clicker in hand.

"Age: 32, Lives with his brother in Alexandria. Suspected of murdering two undercover FBI agents. He was the only person to be seen with both agents prior to their disappearances. We don't have any forensic evidence on him yet linking him to the murder scenes. This guy is meticulous but he also has a very violent streak. He isn't a very patient person and that tends to be when he becomes violent." She clicked through the various pictures of him, his house, and car while talking. At the last bit, she looked at Gibbs apologetically.

"Don't..." He began but she cut him off. "Apologize, I know- I know. It's a sign of weakness. I hear that all the time. You and T.C. really rub off on each other." She smiled ruefully at him.

"More like I rubbed off on him. If he ever rubbed off on me, I'd be giving myself an acid bath." The humor in his demeanor had Ziva, Tony and McGee stare at their mystery woman closely. _Who was she?_

"That hurts Gibbs. I'd like to think that you think more of me than that." Tobias C. Fornell surprised most of the team, his own agent included as he rounded the corner. Gibbs was the only one who seemed unsurprised to see him.

"Come to make sure she's all in one piece Tobias?" Gibbs' tone was light but there was an undertone to it that had Tony looking a bit more closely at his boss.

"Actually I was coming to see if you were in one piece. Catalina can be quite the fireball once you get her going." Fornell smiled and patted Catalina on the shoulder.

"Catalina?" Ziva looked at her questioningly.

Fornell glanced around at the curious and confused faces that stared back at him. "I take it you didn't introduce her?"

Jethro smiled. "Nope. It's more fun to watch them try and figure it out on their own."

Catalina turned to the team. "I'm sorry. I'm FBI Agent Catalina Muñoz." She watched with amusement as one after another, all their jaws dropped open in shock and surprise.

_Gibbs.... with an FBI agent??_

Tony, always the gutsy one when it came to Gibbs, spoke first. "Uh, boss, you gonna tell us why we're looking at Alejandro Rojas? Did he kill an NCIS agent or something that we don't know about?"

"He tried to shoot me today, DiNozzo." He leveled a stare at his Senior Field Agent.

"Oh."

"What were you doing that made him shoot at you?" Ziva spoke up, eyeing Catalina appraisingly.

"I was trying to get Agent Muñoz and myself away from him, Ziva."

"Why was he after you in the first place, Gibbs?"

"He wasn't. He was after me." Catalina interjected. "I was undercover, trying to draw him out to find out information on the two other agents he'd murdered. He was seen frequenting a swing dance hall that both agents danced at. It was my job to get close enough to him where he'd lead me to some evidence or start talking about them. Unfortunately, the only thing he seemed interested in was getting me in bed."

"Well who wouldn't?" Tony muttered under his breath. He must not have muttered quietly enough because Gibbs' hand shot out and smacked him on the back of the head.

"Sorry boss." He grimaced and looked back at Catalina, who smiled and continued.

"The thought was a female agent would get closer than a male agent. We had him under almost constant surveillance until last month when he began noticing we were following and rarely came to the studio. This last time, they placed a GPS tracking unit on his car. That's how we got the warning this morning," She glanced at Gibbs who was looking at Tobias with an unfathomable expression on his face. "He's obviously armed, as evidenced by this morning and very angry."

She stopped. A woman was on the stair landing staring down at all of them. "Jethro."

The man in question, stopped and looked up. "Director."

"Can I see you for a moment?" Her voice was ice, and Catalina shot a look at Tobias. He shook his head ever so slightly. None of their business.

Gibbs walked around to the staircase and stood, staring for a long moment at the Director.

Catalina watched them with speculation. _Seems like they've got a history._

Gibbs suddenly turned and looked at his team. "Did I miss something? Or did we catch Alejandro Rojas already and nobody told me!" The anger in his voice sent the team to hopping but it only intrigued Catalina. _Oh, yes there is definitely history there._

She watched as Gibbs walked up the stairs with the Director who opened a door and followed him inside.

* * *

Jenny had been in the office for the past few hours. Jethro's phone call to her last night had her on edge and she wanted to be ready in case something went down. Her suspicions were confirmed when she heard the two of them enter the bullpen. She, along with the rest of the team, had witnessed Jethro kiss that woman.

_That woman... Who the hell is that woman?_ Her jealousy was unnesscary she knew but she felt it all the same.

When Tobias had entered and claimed the mystery woman as one of his own, she'd made a few calls of her own. She now knew that the woman downstairs was FBI Agent Catalina Isabella Muñoz, who had been working undercover for the past 6 months trying to infiltrate Alejandro Rojas' confidence. Jenny also knew that she had one brother, Adrian serving in the Marines as a medic in Iraq. Her parents had died in a car crash when she was a teenager. Never married at 31, she was also a very good, very experienced agent with the Bureau. Their Director had spoken very highly of her.

After hanging up, she decided it was time to talk with Jethro. Well, attempt to talk with Jethro. He always tended to want to fight whenever they spoke. Things hadn't been easy since he discovered her secret mission to get Le Grenouille. He understood her need for revenge but that's where it stopped. Jethro had held her directly responsible for any and all pain inflicted on Tony due to that mission.

Walking down to the landing, Jenny stood for a moment, watching Catalina explain everything she already knew to the rest of the team. She saw the look Catalina shot at Gibbs and the way Gibbs tensed, the moment he felt her presence behind him.

"Jethro."

He turned and looked at her. She could see how he masked the anger, but it was still there under the surface. But when he spoke, none of it showed.

"Director."

_Well if that was the way they were going to play it, fine._ Her gazed hardened and her voice was sharp. "Can I see you for a moment?" Her eyes followed Gibbs as he moved to stand before her.

They had always had a way of having conversations without actually having conversations. He looked at her. Jenny knew the moment he realized she knew about Catalina. His eyes flashed for a moment, then the emotion was gone.

Hearing the silence stretch between them, he turned and directed the anger he was feeling towards his team where it would do the most good. "Did I miss something? Or did we catch Alejandro Rojas already and nobody told me!"

Turning, Jenny walked up the staircase, Jethro hot on her heels. She opened her office door and he stepped inside. Following him in, she shut the door.

She saw he was about to protest whatever he thought she was going to say, but she held up her hand and he stopped. "After having spoken with the Director of the FBI, it's been decided that you and your team will assist Agent Fornell and Muñoz with the investigation."

Jethro exhaled and looked at his Director with wary acceptance. "...Thanks."

He turned to leave but stopped at the door and turned around.

"Why?"

Jenny looked down at her desk for a minute before answering. "You never looked at me that way."

"Jen, I-" He was cut short as she said, in a coolly professional voice, "You're dismissed Special Agent Gibbs."


	7. Memories

A/N: Don't kill me for writing about Jenny! :-) I don't like her much myself but I had to give you that bit to explain things that will appear later. Thanks again for the reviews, I feel like I need to say it every time because it does keep me going.

Disclaimer: I own Catalina; nothing else is mine, sadly.

* * *

I was waiting at Gibbs' desk when he came down the stairs. He made a beeline for Tobias.

Fornell smiled. "Joint investigation?"

"Something like that. Our regular conference room?" I looked curiously over at Tony who mouthed, not so subtlety, 'Elevator'. The two men headed to the object in question and stepped inside.

As the doors slid shut, Tony came over and perched jauntily on the edge of Gibbs' desk. "So, Catalina, may I call you Catalina?" His smile was devilish and behind him I saw Ziva glaring daggers at him. _Ah ha.... so those two are intimate._

I smiled sweetly and leaned closer, seeing Ziva's expression darken in the process. "No, you may not Agent DiNozzo." I yanked a file from under his butt and he leapt into the air with a cry of surprise.

"Well McGee, it just shows you can't always win with women." He sat down behind his desk and propped his feet up.

"No, apparently **you** can't." Ziva's voice was loaded with double meaning and Tony's head shot up to look at her.

"Damn it....." He grumbled.

McGee grinned, happy to see Tony actually humbled for once. "Want me to give you a head slap for you?"

"No McGoo, only one person is allowed to do that and that's...." He was stopped as Gibbs' hand came out and smacked his head as he walked by. "Him." He pointed at Gibbs.

Jethro came and stood in front of his desk, gaze trained on me. I looked behind him for T.C. but he was nowhere in sight. "Where's Tobias?"

"He went to go coordinate your surveillance team to meet up with my team." He panned his gaze across at his team.

"Tony! Ziva! You'll be going with the FBI team to try and track down Rojas via the GPS tracks he's left. McGee! You'll stay here and see if this guy's got any more hideouts the FBI doesn't know about."

"What about me? Am I going to go with Agent DiNozzo and Agent David?" I looked questioningly up at him.

"No. You're coming with me. You're under protective detail until further notice." My eyes narrowed and I felt the heat begin to rise as my fire was stoked.

"Excuse me, I don't need a protective detail! I am an accomplished agent and can take care of myself." I stood up, drawing myself up to my full height of 5'7". Not very tall but enough to be intimidating to some people.

"There's no argument." The look he gave me made me shut my mouth with a snap. I grabbed my things and headed towards the elevator.

"And what did Tobias say when you told him this?" I was mad enough to punch him but I settled for a biting tone instead. Jethro had followed me to the elevator and stood just behind my left shoulder.

Watching the doors open, I walked in and turned, my gaze finding Jethro with a half smile on his face.

"He said good luck."

"You're going to need it." Hearing him laugh when I said that didn't make me any happier.

We ended up driving to his house because my house was still a crime scene. There were currently four agents going over it with a fine tooth comb, which grated on my nerves. I didn't like strange people in my house, even though I knew they had good reason.

Gibbs' house was eerily absent of almost all furniture. He had a lone couch in the front room, a table and two chairs in the kitchen. That was it. I looked around.

"You don't entertain much do you?" He snorted in amusement.

"I didn't bother redecorating after my last divorce. Didn't seem worth the trouble. The rooms I use are furnished enough." I glanced around again, an apprehensive look on my face.

"I hope this isn't what you consider furnished enough."

Jethro saw my face and let out a laugh. "You should see the basement. I spend almost all of my time there." At that, I had a twinge of hope of a fully furnished basement quickly trampled when I saw the humorous gleam in his eyes as he led me down the bare wooden stairs to his basement.

Bare concrete walls whose only adornment was unfinished wood shelving. The shelves were jam packed with boxes that had various labels on them. There was a work table and shelves which housed numerous nails, screws, bolts, and other impedimenta that one would need to build things. The unfinished boat took center stage however. It's smooth surface called to me and I impulsively ran a hand over the half finished hull. _So smooth,_ I thought. I was startled by Jethro coming up behind me and placing a sander in my hands.

"Always go with the grain." His voice sounded right at my ear and I could feel his breath on my neck. Swallowing, I began to slowly move it back and forth, Gibbs' hands on the backs of my own, guiding.

"It's soothing, isn't it?" He was right, there was something about the motion 'back, forth, back, forth' that just calmed my spirit. I inhaled deeply and suddenly realized he was being truthful; he did spend most of his time down here. _No wonder he smelled like a lumber yard._

He kissed my cheek and stepped back. "I'm going to go fix us breakfast."

I turned around. "Mmm... What are you making?"

"Whatever you want.... within reason."

"Pancakes! And Eggs! And Bacon!" I grinned. If he was really going to make me breakfast, I would make sure it was a meal I wouldn't forget.

Jethro looked at me with a skeptical smile. "You want pancakes? How about cereal? I can do cereal."

I looked up at him wistfully. "So no pancakes?"

His smile turned into a full fledged grin. "Alright, pancakes it is. Though I'll warn you, I haven't made these in years so I don't know how good I'll be."

"It's just like riding a bike. Sort of." I followed him up the stairs and into the kitchen.

He glanced over his shoulder. "They say that about other things as well."

I stopped for a moment. _Did he just imply what I think he implied?... No... I'm just inferring that because I... well because I want to. Dang it, hormones!_

Shaking it off, I continued to follow him into the kitchen, where he proceeded to open cupboards and pull out utensils that looked like they hadn't been used for years.

I raised an eyebrow. "You sure that you remember how to make these? Looks like you haven't used most of this in a long while." I moistened a paper towel from the sink and began wiping the dust off of a large mixing bowl.

"I haven't." The tinge of sorrow in his voice was inescapable. Jethro stood quite still for a moment, palms flat on the counter, eyes closed with his head down.

Cautious that I'd touched upon something that was rather painful, I moved slowly towards him. Gently placing a hand on his shoulder, I peered around his shoulder into his face. "You don't have to make these if you don't want to."

I had spoken softly but not softly enough that he hadn't heard me. He didn't answer, just remained standing as he was, like a statue. I watched his eyes and saw rapid movement behind the closed lids. _He must be remembering something._

I was about to step back when I felt a tiny tremor under my hand. "Jethro?"

Suddenly I was caught up in his arms, as he pressed his face into my neck. His hands snaked around my waist and clutched at me as if I were his only anchor to reality. I was dangling off the ground by a good couple inches but my hands instinctively began caressing his back in soothing strokes. "It's okay, it's okay Jethro."

The tremors had turned to fully fledged shudders now and I could tell he was holding back tears.

"Oh, Shannon...." His broken voice came out a whisper and I pulled back slightly to make him look at me.

"Jethro? Who's Shannon?" I looked at him in confusion.

His head came up and he looked at me, confused as well.

"Shannon?" Hope filled his voice and I internally cringed at what I was about to say, knowing I would destroy that hope.

"No, Jethro, I'm Catalina. Remember?"

His eyes finally came into focus and I could tell by the increased tension in his arms that he recognized me. The grip about my waist, slowly loosened until he set me back on the floor. He took a deep breath, not looking at me.

"I'm sorry." He tried to turn away but my hand on his face stopped him. I left it there, thumb gently rubbing against his cheek.

"Jethro, tell me what just happened. Who's Shannon?" I felt him begin to withdraw even more and I tried again. "Please?"

He finally brought his gaze up to meet my own concerned one. The sorrow and loss in his eyes tore at my heart. "I don't talk about her."

Turning away from me, he walked into the living room to stand before the empty mantle.

"Was she an ex-wife?" I tried to get him to open up, knowing it was the only way to truly get to know the man behind the stone exterior.

"I said I don't talk about her!" His voice was rough with anger and emotion. I backed up. Jethro obviously wasn't going to talk about her and me pushing him anymore wouldn't get us anywhere. I glanced at the staircase leading upstairs. I could really use a shower.

I opened my mouth to ask Jethro but shut it as I looked at him. His back was so ridged from the tension, I could see it tremble with effort. I was torn between wanting to help and knowing it wouldn't make a difference even if I tried. Finally giving up, I walked up the stairs, and began opening doors to try and find the bathroom. The first door I came to was a closet full of towels and extra bathroom supplies. Hopeful, I turned to the door directly opposite. It was at least a room, though darkened. I felt my hand along the wall, looking for the light switch. My fingers found it and flipped it on.

I was staring at a child's room. It was painted a soft lavender and had trinkets that would only belong to a little girl. Thoroughly confused, I took a step back into the hall and glanced at Jethro's back which was still turned towards the stairs. Did he have a daughter? Seeing that he wasn't paying me any attention, I turned back to look more closely at the room. All of the furniture and things were covered in a layer of dust that made it obvious that the room hadn't been lived in for a very long time. Maybe one of his ex-wives had custody? I mused on the curious room but stepped into the hall. There were two more doors left to try.

I moved down to the one on the left. It was the bathroom. I breathed a silent sigh of relief. I now had something to do while Jethro calmed down. Locking the door, I quickly stripped down and turned the water on. _Maybe this will clear my head.... God, I hope so_.


	8. Inside His Head

A/N: I am soooooo sorry I haven't posted in so long. I got married, went on my honeymoon and just moved into a new apartment with my husband. I've been a bad author I know.... *Shame shame shame* But I hope this makes up for it. And thanks to my lovely Beta: Salem Navy!

Now that the apologies are out of the way, this is my first time doing a Gibbs POV. Please let me know what you think. If you all like it, I'll do some more. So please review and let me know.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately NCIS and all characters therein do not belong to me but Catalina does.

* * *

Gibbs POV

I stood there staring at the spot above the mantle where our family portrait used to hang. Me, Shannon and Kelly. Memories kept running through my mind of them and I tried, in vain, to shove them back into their locked corner of my mind. I heard Catalina move upstairs and the rational part of my mind urged me to go after her and explain. But I didn't. The memories that she had awoken had been long buried and for good reason. Buried because it was the only way I could get through the day. I thought of them every day but it was more a passing thought. I couldn't let it become more than that or I would be a constant mess. The team didn't need that. They had never seen me anything other than their steadfast rock of a boss and if I had my way that would never change.

I straightened up and rubbed a hand over my face. That scene in the kitchen had thrown me for a loop. "You don't have to make these if you don't want to." That one phrase had thrown me back twenty years to a time when life still made sense.

I'd just gotten back from another tour overseas and Kelly had been bugging me the entire car ride home to make her breakfast the next day. I'd agreed with a smile, just so happy to be back with my family. But the next morning when I slipped out of bed to make the two of them breakfast, I'd gotten a surprise. Shannon had rearranged the kitchen on me while I'd been gone. It shouldn't have been such a big thing.... but it was. I tore through the kitchen trying to find everything. Shannon heard the clatter and came down the stairs to see what was going on.

"Jethro? What are you doing?" She was in her housecoat, sleep still lingering in her eyes.

"I can't find the damn skillet! Where the hell did you put the skillet!?" I was frantic at the thought that I might disappoint Kelly if I couldn't find it.

Shannon slowly walked towards me and placed a hand on my chest. "Jethro, calm down. You don't have to make these if you don't want to."

I looked at her in shock and disbelief. Could she really think...? "I do." I didn't say another word to her while I went about in silence, making the pancakes and eggs. It was the only time Shannon and I had ever fought. And then less than a year later, she and my beloved little girl were dead.

I shook my head to clear it, when I heard the sound of running water. Curious, I turned around and walked up the stairs. The light to my bathroom was on and I could hear faint singing on the other side. It was soft, as if she didn't want to be heard.

I sighed internally. Catalina was going to want an explanation. They always did. Jen, Hollis, Diane; all the women in my life inevitably wanted a long drawn out explanation for my actions. I wasn't sure I had the strength left to explain this to her. I walked to my bedroom, turning a lamp on and sitting on the bed, my head in my hands.

Even my team hardly knew anything about my life prior to NCIS. I liked it that way. The less they knew, the more I seemed impervious. Abby liked to joke that I had a stone wall up with steel reinforcements to keep people out. She was the only one I'd ever let in before. Not that I really had a choice, with Abby's persistence and unstoppable, cheerful personality, it was only a matter of time before she had worn me down enough. I had come to accept the fact that I was never going to be totally alone again. Abby would make sure of that. When I'd left for Mexico, she was the only one who had a number to reach me. If it ever came to that again, she would be that one.

As I sat there, trying to come up with something to say to Catalina, I heard the water shut off. The quiet sounds she made as she moved around the bathroom produced an ache that made my entire body hurt. It had been so long that someone besides myself had acted like they lived here. I tried to take slow, deep breaths to calm myself. I didn't want another scene like the one in the kitchen earlier.

I was so focused on getting myself and my memories under control, I didn't hear the bathroom door open. A quiet rustle had me bringing my head up and I stopped and stared. Catalina stood before me, wrapped in a towel, hair dripping.

She glanced around somewhat nervously and cleared her throat. "Do you have something I could borrow to wear? I have a... thing... with clothes that haven't been washed in awhile." Her cheeks burned with color and she stared at her feet, waiting for my response.

My mouth had gone dry the minute I realized she was only covered by my terrycloth towel. She looked up at me and I shut my mouth with a snap, not realizing it had been hanging open.

"Or not..." Catalina made as if to move back to the relative safety of the bathroom when I stood and crossed to her in two strides.

"I'm sure I can find something... suitable." I swallowed hard, my voice huskier than usual. I walked to my closet and pulled a NCIS t-shirt and pair of basketball shorts out. "Here you go."

I handed them to her, careful to keep my gaze on her face. She cleared her throat as she took them from me.

"Thank you, Jethro." Her hand came up and rested on my cheek as she studied me intently with her eyes, as if searching for something. After a moment, she gave a small smile and, rising slightly on her tiptoes, gave me a light kiss on my lips.

"Be right back." She whispered and turned to move away but my hand shot out and pulled her back to me.

"Not so fast." My voice was still rough with the emotion from earlier but this time I knew the woman in my arms. And I knew what I wanted.

Inquiring green eyes stared up into my own and I couldn't hold back any longer. I kissed her like I'd wanted to kiss her that night we met. As our tongues met in a wild tangle, her arms began to wind around my neck and she pressed herself closer to me. Sensing she was just as eager as I was, my hands greedily tightened their grip on her luscious curves. I could feel the towel begin to slip and inwardly, I smiled. She seemed oblivious to everything but me. That thought gave me a jolt of pure male satisfaction. I moved to help the towel along when my phone began buzzing. I broke away and looked at the caller id. "DiNozzo."

He wouldn't stop calling until he got an answer and that would be rather annoying considering what I'd been planning. I saw Catalina realize her cover was slipping and grab to secure it tighter around her slender frame. Damn.

I flipped open my phone and turned away from her. "This better be good DiNozzo." My tone left little doubt in Tony's mind that I was in no mood to chit chat.

"Well boss, we found Rojas' car but nothing inside. The FBI did find some shell casings at Cata- Agent Muñoz's house. Abby's got 'em in the lab and is running them to see if she can find anything." Tony's voice stopped suddenly and I knew that it meant he was unsure of how to proceed with the next bit of information.

"And?...." I waited for him to continue. When he hadn't gone on after a few more seconds, I grew impatient. "Out with it DiNozzo!"

"We found the guy's house and he has a shrine, dedicated to one Catalina Muñoz. He's obsessed with her boss...., " Tony hesitated, then continued. "And I don't think that he'll stop until he finds her." His words made my heart begin to pound and adrenaline start to rush through my veins.

"That means we've got to find him first." I wouldn't let anything happen to her. There was no alternative.

"On it Boss." Tony hung up, knowing I'd want results faster now.

I turned back to Catalina but she was gone.


	9. Breakfast and Morgans

A/N: I'm sorry it's taken this long to get a new chapter up. I wish I could come up with some lovely excuse that would have you all not hate me but alas, it's only life that's intervened. I promise I haven't forgotten about this story. I'll sincerely try to do better. :-)

* * *

Watching Jethro turn around to talk to Agent DiNozzo, I saw my chance to slip out. Moving quietly, I slipped back into the bathroom and quickly changed into the t-shirt and shorts Gibbs had handed me. Both items were rather big and I felt like a child trying clothes on that were ten sizes too big. Hanging the towel up to dry, I exited the bathroom.

"Out with it DiNozzo!"

Not wanting to interrupt when his temper was obviously rising to the fore, I descended the stairs to the living room. I sat down on one end of the couch and pulled my knees to my chest. Resting my chin on my knees, I looked up at the empty mantle that Jethro had been staring at earlier. If you looked closely, you could see that a rather large portrait had once been hung there. I wondered about the scene earlier in the kitchen. Something tragic or traumatic had obviously happened to Jethro at one point or another. Perhaps both. He'd shown classic signs of suppressed memory in the kitchen.

Chewing absentmindedly on my lower lip, I debated on my next course of action. _Talk to him about it? No. Suppressed memory was suppressed for a reason. He'd open up eventually, given enough time,_ I thought. _Pretend like it didn't happen? No, he might think I was freaked out by his display and pull away from me. I don't want him pulling away. I want him coming closer. Hmm....._

My musing came to an abrupt end with the man in question's appearance at the foot of the stairs. The look on his face bordered on panic and massive relief intermingled together. Cocking an eyebrow, I held out a hand to him.

He came, slowly, taking my hand and sitting down next to me. After a few minutes sitting in silence, I spoke up.

"So... what's going on? That was Agent DiNozzo on the phone, right?" I glanced over at him.

Jethro took a deep breath and let it out. "Yeah, they just finished doing a sweep of his house."

Smelling something fishy, I prodded a little further. "Did they find anything that might be helpful? Like where he might be headed or what he's after?"

"Not yet."

His answer bothered me and I couldn't put my finger on the reason why.

"You sure? Did both our teams go over it? Maybe they're not playing nice." I couldn't say why I was pressing the subject except my intuition was telling me to.

"Yeah, they haven't found anything important yet. Why? You think that we may have missed something?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I just thought they would've found _something_... anything. Finding nothing seems.... wrong." I frowned and started worrying my lower lip again.

Jethro leaned back against the couch and casually placed an arm around my shoulders. "Don't worry. We'll catch this guy. My team's the best at what they do and I'm sure Tobias has his best agents on it too."

My eyes narrowed. "Except me." I sat forward a bit and his arm fell off my shoulders. "Which I guess I have you to thank for that." Bitterness laced my voice. I rather resented the fact that I was excluded from an investigation that was in my field of expertise. I mean I hadn't been learning about Alejandro Rojas for the past six months for the hell of it.

"Hey. If I thought that having you out there would make a difference as to whether or not we catch this guy, I'd have you out of here in less than 10 minutes. But as it is, Tobias and I both know that sometimes having someone who's so close to an investigation like this is actually more of a hindrance than a help." He grasped my right hand again and squeezed it gently.

"And if you're the agent Tobias says you are, you'll realize this for yourself." I sighed. He was right but it still didn't rub me right that they thought I needed to be protected like a damsel in distress. I'd worked my whole life to avoid that pitfall of a cliche and yet here I was, being tossed right in without so much as a question to me if I objected. Which I did. Vehemently.

Wanting to change the subject and also get something on my stomach, I looked up at Jethro. "Can we at least go out and get coffee and a bagel or something? My stomach's going to start screaming in a minute and nobody wants to hear that." I smiled.

He chuckled softly to himself. "On one condition."

"Name it."

"You stay here. I'll go and get it." My lips pursed and I was just about to go off on him when, as if right on cue, my stomach let out a rumble that both of us could hear. Warmth flooded my cheeks and I instantly bit back what I was going to say and just looked down.

"Fine. But you better hurry. As we can both hear, I'm obviously starving." I smiled, rueful at my own hunger.

"There should still be some coffee leftover from this morning in the kitchen. You said you wanted a bagel?" He rose off the couch, pulling me with him.

"Yeah a bagel and cream cheese please. It sounds heavenly right about now."

Placing a quick kiss on my forehead, he smiled. "Be back in a few minutes, tops." Then he was out the door and gone.

I wandered into the kitchen to grab myself a cup of coffee. Taking a mug from the cabinet, I poured myself a decent amount of coffee to sufficiently caffeinate me for a few hours at least.

Thinking about the conversation Jethro and I had just had made me remember my twinge of suspiscion. Something was odd. He had seemed forthright and truthful but I'd learned a long time ago to trust my instincts. Instincts which were, at the moment, telling me that I needed to keep thinking about this more.

I sipped my coffee and decided I'd go to think where the man himself probably went to think things out.

Making my way into the basement, I once again ran a hand over the silky smooth surface of the half finished hull. I sat down on a stool that stood in a corner, hooking my feet through the rungs and began to study the boxes that filled the multiple shelves around the room.

Spying a box that was clearly labeled "**Jethro**", I let curiosity get the better of me and went to pull it down. It was completely filled with records. Pulling one out, I blew the dust off it and saw Frank Sinatra's name. I smiled. I hadn't expected that but also found I wasn't surprised either. Replacing it, I went to pull another one when I heard the front door open and close.

_"That's awfully quick...",_ I thought. Moving cautiously and quietly, I stood up and backed behind the boat's hull. Seeing a chisel and hammer sitting on his workbench, I grabbed both. If it was an intruder, having some kind of weaponry was better than none. I mentally slapped myself for not grabbing my gun, which was still sitting on the bathroom counter.

"Hello?" A male voice rang out and I heard footsteps circling the living room. It didn't sound like Alejandro's deep bass but he could have an accomplice he was working with. I edged closer to the stairs to see if I could recognize who the voice belonged to. "Jethro? Are you here? Jethro?" The voice came closer and I heard the basement door open.

I was fairly certain that I had nothing to fear but still kept the tools I held clutched in my hands, ready to use if need be. I saw two feet and then legs as a kindly looking older man descended the stairs. I moved away slowly, still alert.

Stopping at the foot of the stairs, he spied me and a warm smile broke out. "Ah! My dear, you must be Catalina. Abigail has told me so many wonderful things about you. "

I gave a half smile, unsure as to who he was and what his motive was. "And you are?...." I trailed off.

"Oh forgive me, my dear. I'm Dr. Donald Mallard, but everyone calls me Ducky."

* * *

Ziva sighed. Tony was always cranky after Gibbs hung up on him. You'd think that after it happened a few times that he'd get used to it... She watched him stalk over to the agent who was snapping pictures of the suspect's house.

"You done with that yet!? Geez Probies, pick up the pace!" Growling in frustration, he made his way to stand next to his Mossad partner.

"You ready to go?" He asked her in a much more subdued tone.

"Not quite. We have to wait for them to finish up. You know Gibbs will want the evidence back at Abby's lab as soon as possible. And that's why I'm driving back." She grinned and plucked the sedan's keys from Tony's front pocket.

The grin Ziva shot at him as she whirled around and exited to the car, made DiNozzo's insides clench. Ziva was a lovely woman... as long as you stayed on her good side .... and never rode with shotgun with her.

"Shit.... This was **exactly** what I needed today." Tony sighed as he grabbed the evidence bin from the agent who was holding it out to him and signed everything in.

Walking back outside, he eased himself into the passenger seat of the sedan, holding the evidence bin on his lap. _Maybe with evidence in the car, she'd drive safer... or slower..._

Lurching back into his seat as Ziva threw the car into gear, he barely had time to fasten his seat belt and say a quick prayer before she stepped on the gas. _Guess not._

* * *

Jethro was returning to his house when he spied a rather familiar Morgan PlusFour sitting outside. Unsure of why his medical examiner was there, he entered the house and, hearing voices from the basement, made his way down to them.

Stopping at the foot of the stairs, he couldn't help but smile. Catalina was talking animatedly about her brother, Adrian, and Ducky was punctuating her fluid stream of words with his own. She stopped abruptly when she spied him and the bag he held in his hand.

She shot off the stool so fast he thought she might knock him over but she didn't. She stopped just short of touching him and immediately reached for the bag.

"Uh-uh. I don't even get a hello? Or a thank you?" Jethro held the bag up over his head, dangling it just out of reach of Catalina's outstretched hands.

Settling her hands on her hips, she glared at him. "Hello and thank you. I'm starving and it isn't nice to torture someone who hasn't eaten anything in the last twelve hours."

Seeing Ducky's grin over her shoulder, Gibbs lowered the bag. "Here you go. Bagel and cream cheese. Just what the lady ordered."

Opening the bag, Catalina returned to her vacated stool and began to eat.

Leaving her to her meal, Jethro turned his attention to the good doctor. "What brings you here Duck?"

"Oh, Abigail called me and said you'd absconded with a lovely young woman who was part of a new case we're working on. I gathered she was wanting to make sure you share." Ducky grinned at his old friend.

Abby had told him much more than that. But it wouldn't do to let Jethro know that his Lab Rat was frantically trying to make sure he and Catalina became an item. He'd find out soon enough anyway.

Hearing a buzzing from his pocket, Gibbs pulled out his phone and flipped it open.

"Gibbs."

"Gibbs! It's me! I've got something!" Abby's normally cheerful voice held a note of seriousness to it, making his throat tighten slightly.

"Alright we'll be right in." His voice came out a little rougher than usual. Shoving his phone back into his pocket, he turned to the two pairs of eyes who were watching him, blue and green.

"Abby's got something. Let's go."


	10. Trouble in Spades

A/N: No excuses but here is the latest fruit of my labor. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: Nothing of NCIS is mine but Catalina is.

* * *

I sat on a stool, listening to Abby rapidly explain how her machine, lovingly referred to as Major Mass Spec, had provided her with the break we needed. Chemical traces from boots recovered from Rojas' home showed he had recently been around an area that had been irradiated with Uranium.

"So I cross checked all the known companies and places that are authorized to work with Uranium and found one that seemed to fit this guy perfectly." Abby gestured to the monitors as her fingers flew over the keyboard, pulling up several images of a plant of some sort. "This place has been abandoned for the past six months and one of Rojas' cousins used to be employed with them."

I stood up, moving close to look at the pictures. "I know where this is. This is right outside of Martinsburg off of Highway 81. One of the agents was found not a mile from there."

Jethro, who had been hovering over Abby's shoulder the entire time, now came to stand next to me.

"So let's go pick him up." I glanced up at him.

"I actually get to come along? I'm not going to be safely tucked away in some basement while everyone else gets the glory?" My sarcastic, bitter tone clearly conveyed how i felt about being excluded from the earlier portion of the investigation.

"Yep, you get to come but you'll still be safely tucked away out of harms way, while we apprehend him." His eyes pierced me with sharp look as they narrowed; I could tell he was going to be stubborn about this.

"If only Tobias were here..." I grumbled.

"Well he's not. You get to deal with me instead." Pulling out his phone, he punched a few buttons and stepped away to begin assembling the plan for the take-down.

Agent DiNozzo, who had been standing against the back table with Agents David and McGee, came up as Jethro turned away. "Don't worry. He's always this way with his women," he said, in a voice just above a whisper.

I turned to face Tony fully. "Oh really? And what way is that Agent DiNozzo?" I asked, as I cocked an eyebrow.

I could see the thoughts play across his face in rapid succession. _Was that me confirming I was Jethro's woman? Was I jealous?_ He hadn't expected me to respond at all.

"Well.. I-" His words were cut off as a hand smacked the back of his head hard enough to send it whipping forward.

"Sorry boss." His hand came up to rub the back of his head ruefully.

"Grab your gear."

* * *

We arrived at a deserted complex of concrete buildings and right away, I could see Jethro's agents were well trained. Fanning out, they began to quickly cover the open ground to take positions at various locations at the front of the building. I started forward, hand on my gun holster.

Jethro had told me to hang back with Agent DiNozzo but I was itching for some action. Agent DiNozzo also appeared to be anxious as well, though I thought that was due to the fact that Agents' McGee and David had been paired up. While we watched, from a safe distance back of course, the agents carefully, but swiftly disappeared into the building.

Tobias and Jethro had partnered up for this mission and I would've given anything to be a fly on one of their shoulders. Jethro hadn't seemed too thrilled when Tobias said he would stick with Jethro. But judging by the look on my boss' face, it had more to do with making sure our target was taken alive more than anything, which said something about Agent Gibbs.

"So how long do you think it'll take before the guy gives up?" Tony asked, leaning back against the hood of the sedan.

I paced restlessly in front of him. "I don't think he'll give up. He's the type of man to go down fighting."

"I just hope that they-" I stopped mid sentence as gunshot rapport broke the silence of the air and a scream ripped through the sky.

Tony shot to his feet and raced towards the building.

Realizing that it must have been Ziva who screamed, I was only a fraction behind him as he whipped around the building, following the path his lover had taken only moments before.

Stepping inside the open door that she must have entered, Tony finally slowed down, but only slightly. His weapon was drawn and cocked. I pulled mine out and we began the search for Ziva David.

The building we were in appeared to have been a purifying warehouse. Several large vats hung on conveyer belts and you could see what used to have been large kilns. Skirting the base of one of the vats, Tony motioned for me to stop and stay. I waited as I saw him squint and peer around the vat to look at something more closely. I heard a soft scrape and turned around only to see Alejandro's face leering at me as his hands brought a large brick down onto my head.

* * *

Gibbs wasn't pleased. He had hoped to stay behind with Catalina and make sure she stayed out of trouble but after seeing Tony and Ziva in the bullpen, he knew his Senior Field Agent needed a lesson in restraint. Making him responsible for Catalina's welfare was a good lesson for him. However, Tobias was making damn sure that Gibbs knew that he thought _he_ needed his own lesson in restraint. But the things irking Jethro the most were the gunshots and that scream.

After the scream, there had been nothing. Complete silence. Gibbs knew that it had been Ziva who had screamed and he also hoped that Tony would do his job and stay put. But unfortunately, he knew his Senior Field Agent better than that. Tobias and Jethro had been communicating with everyone except for Ziva, Tony and Catalina.

As they made their way methodically through the building, Gibbs began to have a twinge of worry.

Suddenly, rounding a large container, he spotted Ziva. Tobias covered him as he went to see how bad it was.

She had sustained a gunshot wound to her right shoulder and it was bleeding, though not profusely. However the thing that was most alarming was the fact that it appeared that, as she fell, she had hit her head, thus rendering her unconscious.

"Call for a bus." Gibbs ripped his jacket off and began to try to staunch the flow of blood.

"Hold this." Gibbs shoved the jacket into Fornell's hands.

"Where are you going?"

"To find our agents."

* * *

Hearing was the first thing to return. I heard water dripping, slow as if from a small leak. Rattling and hissing of pipes. Water pipes? A tapping. Rhythmic.

I took an experimental breath. My chest hurt as if someone were giving me a hard hug I couldn't get out of. A sulfur smell reached my nose, also that of a wood burning fire. I inhaled again and cracked one eye open.

My head was resting on my chest which was bound to a chair it appeared. My hands had been bound behind my back tightly. I flexed my fingers slightly and I could feel the tingling start. I tested my feet to see if they were bound. They were but not to the chair, just to each other. I let my head rise slowly, feeling the blood pound out of it and back to the rest of my body. Opening both eyes, I looked around. Dim light filtered in through the cracked door to my left.

The room appeared to be solid concrete with the door the only opening. I looked for Tony, hoping that Alejandro hadn't killed him after I'd gone down. He wasn't with me. Maybe Gibbs would find him in the warehouse, unconscious and he'd be okay.

Thinking hard, I tried to see if my feet would bear my weight. As I tried to lever myself up onto them, the chair legs scraped the ground. Too late, I heard the sound of rapid footsteps and the door was pushed open.

Seeing Alejandro's frame fill the doorway, a sense of dread and inevitability overtook me. Some part of me had known I would end up like this eventually. Feeling the sense almost overtake me, I shook my head. I gave myself a mental slap and strapped a piece of mental steel to my backbone. I was a Muñoz, dammit and we don't go down without a fight. "So you're awake. I was afraid I'd hit you too hard and I wouldn't get to have my fun." He came towards me, his white teeth flashing as he smiled.

"What did you do with my partner?" My voice wavered slightly and he smiled again. "Oh your lover is in the next room, getting what he deserves for stealing what has always been mine." His hand came out and caressed my cheek. I had to work hard to repress the shudder that I felt run through me at his touch.

"Don't worry, querida. He'll never want you again." His hand trailed through my hair as he walked out of the room.

Then I heard Tony scream.


	11. Resolve and Recovery

I learned early on never to speak to Alejandro when he came to brag about what he was doing to Tony. The way he seemed so pleased by how Tony was reacting to the torture made me feel sick to my stomach. I could never keep the food I was brought down after he came in to gloat.

I spent the majority of my time in the room I'd woken up in initially. Alejandro decided it wasn't nearly as entertaining to keep me tied to a chair 24/7, so he had my feet chained together and a longer chain attached to my feet and the wall. I could walk half the length of the room but no more.

I lost track of the days as I was forced to listen to Alejandro torture Tony. I was surprised that he made no sexual advances towards me besides the verbal endearments and the occasional caresses of my face. It took all of my effort and willpower to not flinch away when he did that.

The one thing that brought both relief and guilt when I thought of it, was that it wasn't Gibbs in the next room being tortured for supposedly loving me. Every day Alejandro would come in and tell me that my lover loved me less today than yesterday. I nodded numbly along with everything he said and it seemed to please him. Twice, I'd tried to respond in kind with venom to try and pry more information from him but all I got for my trouble was to be beaten into unconsciousness.

Today, Alejandro strode in with his usual swagger but an uncharacteristic grin was on his face. I looked at him questioningly.

"Querida, today your lover loves you no more! All his love is gone and now you can be mine and mine alone!" His excitement at this statement had my heart begin to pound like thunder in my chest.

I swallowed hard and steeled myself to ask the question that was running through my mind. "Is he dead then?"

A malevolent grin hovered on his mouth. "No, querida, but I'm sure he wishes he was."

I couldn't supress the tears that sprang to my eyes and I forced the next question out of my mouth. "Are you going to kill him?"

"No, he will live forever knowing that you are mine, have always been mind and _**will **_always be mine." With every word, his eyes grew darker and more violent and I shrank into myself, knowing that my time for asking questions was over.

Alejandro strode from the room and I heard a door slam.

I waited and strained my ears to hear any sound of footsteps or human life. Only the dripping and hissing of pipes assaulted my ears.

I tried to calm my breathing, to hold myself together but a tear escaped and traced a long, lonely path down my face to fall on my hands. I opened my mouth to take a steadying breath but it was like the opening of a dam. I let a choked sob out and then I was wailing on the floor of my prison. I hadn't cried at all since I'd been there and it was as if I had been saving up all my tears just for this.

I cried until I thought I couldn't go on anymore. Once that thought had time to permeate my fog of grief though, I shook myself.

"I have to go on. I will not give in. I will find a way to survive." Saying these words out loud seemed to bring a peace that I hadn't known I was looking for.

"I am my mother's daughter. I do not give up. I do **not **become a victim. I will find a way to repay him twofold for everything he has done to Tony... and to me."

I sat up a little straighter and dashed the remnants of my tears from my eyes.

"I **will **kill Alejandro Rojas. _That is a promise_."

With my resolved steeled once more, I began to plan in earnest how I would accomplish it all.

* * *

Catalina and Tony had been missing for over a week. It was a long week. The remaining members of the team walked as if on eggshells around Gibbs. The slightest thing would set him off. Ziva had a sense that everyone else was trying to not provoke a reaction that they'd seen before. She tried to ask McGee about it but he couldn't quite articulate it. Which is why she found herself in Autopsy, looking for answers, while Ducky and Palmer worked on a body.

"I just don't understand what everyone is so afraid of. It's like they all know something that I do not. And I don't like it!" She paced back and forth in agitation.

"My dear, that's because the last time something like this happened, he lost an agent."

"The agent I replaced? Kate?"

Ducky nodded. "Watch what you're doing there, Mr. Palmer. We want the liver in one piece, please."

"Well, besides the similarity in name, there's nothing really-" Ziva was cut short as Abby burst into autopsy.

"They've found Tony!"

* * *

Gibbs stepped into the hospital room and looked at the bed where Tony lay sleeping. His mouth thinned into a compressed line as he came to the edge of the bed and assessed the injuries covering his Senior Field Agent.

Almost every visible part of Tony's body was covered in bruises and bandages. He could see what looked like burn marks on the inside of Tony's arms. Inhaling hard, he saw a doctor in a white lab coat motion to him from outside the room. Exiting the room, he pulled the doctor aside.

"How bad is it? Will he recover?"

The doctor gave a small apologetic smile. "It's hard to say at this point. He's been in a coma since he was brought in. The physical injuries will heal given time but I'm more worried about the mental. We've done everything we know of to bring him out of this coma but he seems to not want to wake up."

It was as if someone had laid an icy hand on the back of Jethro's neck. The explosion that had sent him into a coma was still fresh in his memory and he was all too keenly aware of what factors could be keeping his Field Agent from waking up.

"If he comes to while you're here, just press the red button beside his bed and someone will be in asap." The doctor turned, looking down at his belt which was emitting a rather insistent beeping noise. "I'm being paged but I'll check on him again before my shift ends."

As the doctor left, Gibbs came closer to the bed and took Tony's hand briefly.

"DiNozzo..."

HIs voice trailed off as anger overtook him. He knew from several lectures previously by several different individuals that anger unleashed during the earliest stages of recovery could do the most damage. He felt a muscle in his jaw twitch as he struggled to rein his emotions in and he let go of Tony's hand.

Drawing several deep breaths, Jethro steeled himself. He pulled out his "Boss" voice and said the one thing that was most likely to jolt his Field Agent awake if he could be heard.

"Dammit DiNozzo! Can't you follow orders just once in your life? You know Abby's upset at you. Ziva's likely to hurt you, but I'm sure you can talk her down, if you wake up."

He waited.

Nothing. His brows furrowed in frustration. They quickly disappeared into his hairline as he saw Tony's hand twitch and then heard a deep groan come from the man in the bed.

"...Sorry boss..." Tony's eyes slowly cracked open and looked at his boss standing next to him. "You should know I'm no good at orders when I don't like 'em." He gave a harsh cough and winced, his chest contorting in pain. The sound jolted Gibbs from shock into action and he swiftly pressed the red button the doctor had indcated earlier.

"Bethesda?" Gibbs nodded. "Thought so. Is Catalina okay?"

The concern filtered through the pain in Tony's voice and he looked up at Gibbs for the reassurance she wasn't in worse condition than he. What he saw made his blood run cold.

"Boss... you did... find Catalina, right?

* * *

A/N: Forgive me for being so remiss. I have not forgotten about this story, nor have I given up. I have had an insane writer's block when it came to this story but lately, all I seem to want to do is finish it up and write so hopefull you'll see more fruit of my labor soon. I hope you enjoy! Reviews are always appreciated. :-)

~Rhiev


	12. Rescue and Relief

The bullpen was deceptively quiet. To an outside observer, it looked like a regular day but to anyone who knew Gibbs and his team, there was an underlying tension that permeated the very air.

There had been a collective sigh of relief when Tony was found but Abby noticed that Gibbs just became more withdrawn and began to snap at every little thing.

He had taken to pacing in her lab when the bullpen's tension became too much for him. Abby understood why he was so upset even though he refused to talk about it to anyone. She didn't pry or try to prod him into talking about it like Ducky, McGee and even Ziva had. She just let him pace and listened to him when he needed to rant.

Abby was staring at her screen as her fingers flew over the keys entering in the parameters of her search, when she heard the ding of the elevator. She gave a small smile, never taking her eyes off the monitor.

"Hey Gibbs. Come to wear another rut in my floor?"

"Not exactly." The voice had her whirling around on her stool so fast her pigtails whipped her in the face with the force of her motion.

"TONY!" Abby jumped off her perch and ran to hug her best friend.

She gingerly embraced him, knowing that he was still healing from the injuries Alejandro had inflicted on him.

"I thought you weren't supposed to be back for another 3 weeks..." Suspicion and happiness warred in her voice as she pulled back to look him in the eyes.

Tony gave a ghost of a smile. "Yeah I'm not, but I couldn't stand sitting at home knowing this guy is still out there..."

He trailed off and pain entered his voice. "Especially because he still has Catalina and I want to do everything I can to help get her back."

"Oh Tony..." Abby gave him another hug. "Does Gibbs know you're back yet?"

"I do now." The man in question stood behind them next to the stairwell door that he'd exited from.

Tony winced and his shoulders instinctively hunched forward.

"Uh, boss.."

Gibbs waved a hand to silence his Senior Field Agent. He trained his gaze on Abby who had backed away slightly and was looking at him with an air of expectation that had him fighting a slight smile away.

Aligning his expression back to his current norm of solemn and slightly angry, he voiced the reason he'd actually come down to the Lab.

"Have you got anything for me yet on that new search Abbs?"

A slight blush colored Abby's face and she looked down, intently studying her calf high, lace-up platform boots. "Well not quite yet, Gibbs..."

"Let me guess, you got distracted by 'Mr. I-Shouldn't-Be-Out-Of-Bed-Yet' ?" Amusement laced his voice and she looked up relieved.

"Well, only because I thought he was you coming to make sure your pacing path was permanently etched into my floor!" She grinned at him, teasing.

A smile that didn't quite reach his eyes briefly alighted on his face, when his phone began buzzing.

"Gibbs."

Tony couldn't quite pin the emotion that came across his boss' face but judging by the way he paled rapidly and the strength with which he was clenching his jaw, he didn't think it was a good one.

"Both of you, upstairs with me. Now."

* * *

As they exited the elevator, Abby and Tony hung back, letting their boss practically sprint out of the elevator towards the bullpen. They exchanged a look and without a word, Abby took Tony's hand.

Rounding the corner, they saw the reason for Gibbs' speed. Fornell stood in the the center of the bullpen talking with Ziva.

As Gibbs' neared the conversing pair, Ziva moved around her desk and sat down, leaving only Fornell in the path of her boss.

"You found her?" The question was tossed out with such vehemance that even Ziva flinched.

"No." Softly replying to his friend's request, Fornell allowed himself a small smile. "She found us."

A tremor passed across Jethro's face, quickly suppressed. "Is she- is she at Bethesda then?"

"Other than a few cuts and bruises, Catalina appears to be fine." The slight hesitation that accompanied Tobias' words was not lost on his close friend.

"What is it? Where is she then?" Gibbs was tensed, as if ready to move at the slightest sound.

"She's at home." No sooner had the words left Tobias' mouth, Gibbs was turning and already heading towards the elevator.

Fornell hurried after him. "Gibbs wait!"

"What!" Gibbs waited impatiently for the elevator as he punched the button again.

"She doesn't want to see you."

"What?" He turned, facing the FBI agent with a deceptively calm look on his face.

"She doesn't want to see you."

"She said this?"

Fornell nodded. "It's one of the only requests she's made so far besides telling us where we can find that bastard Rojas. I intend to make sure she gets what she's asked for."

Gibbs opened his mouth and began to object but Fornell silenced him with a raised hand.

"She has a team of agents surrounding her house, making sure she's not disturbed by any visitors unless she wants to be. " His voice gentled slightly. "The only person she's asked to see has been Adrian, her brother. He's on a flight home now from Iraq as we speak. When she's ready to see you, any of you, she'll let you know."

The elevator gave a soft ding and opened, waiting for it's future occupants to board.

Gibbs' put a hand out to hold the elevator open while he held Fornell's gaze. Reaching some conclusion from his own internal debate, he nodded and stepped into the elevator and pressed the down button.

Tobias watched him leave and then pulled his phone out and made a few phone calls.

As he finished, Tony came up beside him. "So what do you think the odds are that he'll actually listen to you?"

Tobias glanced at the agent and gave a smirk. "Even I wouldn't take that bet, DiNozzo."

* * *

I had just stepped out of the shower when there was a tap on my door. I jumped, placing a hand over my heart as my pulse raced. Taking deep, steadying breaths, I reassured myself that the team of agents around were protecting me well.

"Yes?" I began to change into a pair of soft cloth pajama pants and a large oversized sweatshirt that said 'Semper Fi' .

"Ma'am, we have a man outside who says he's your brother, Adrian. Should we let him through?" The voice of Agent Sophie Calvert filtered through my bedroom door. I smiled.

"Sophie, for the thousandth time, you don't have to call me ma'am just because you're on assignment. And yes, please let him in, thank you."

"Girl, when this thing is finished I will call you Cat but until then, you're ma'am to me."

I could hear the amusement in her voice as her southern drawl became more pronounced as she said "ma'am".

I pulled out a pair of large, fluffy socks and was pulling them on when there was another, more firm tap on my door.

A rush of relief flooded through me. I needed my brother's reassuring presence. He'd always been my lodestone throughout our childhood and in times of great turmoil or stress, I always turned to him.

"Come in." I turned away from the door to pull my hair up into a messy half pony tail and when I turned back around my heart began to pound.

Jethro stood just inside my room looking like he'd rather punch something than stand there looking at me.

I didn't realize I'd been backing up until my back hit my dresser with a thud. Swallowing hard, I struggled to steady myself but found that I couldn't seem to catch my breath.

"Why? Why don't you want to see me?" His voice was soft, so soft that I thought I might have misheard him.

"Jethro, I- I..." My voice broke and I felt tears burn my eyes as I blinked them back.

"I can't. I just can't." I felt the first tear fall and shut my eyes to stop anymore from leaking out.

I felt rather than heard him move across the room to stand in front of me. "You can't what?" His voice was soft and gentle. His fingers whispered against my cheek, wiping my tear away. "What can't you do?" His hands cautiously moved about my face, stroking, soothing.

"I can't tell you!" I burst out and I opened my eyes to look up at him, tears glistening. "I can't- I need my brother. I need him, he- he'll know what I need to do."

I couldn't hold my sobs back any longer and I collapsed to the floor, hands over my face, crying.

Then Jethro was there, gathering me into his arms, rocking me slowly. I clung to him as the storm of my grief ebbed.

As my tears subsided, I began to relax, leaning more fully against him, my head nestled in the crook of his neck.

"Can you tell me now why you didn't want to see me, Catalina?" He kept his voice soft as he continued to stroke my hair and rock me gently.

I sniffed. It seemed silly now.

"Because I didn't want you to see me like this." I gestured to myself - my red, running nose and puffy eyes.

His chuckle rumbled through his chest and I felt it in my own. "I've seen worse. Trust me."

"I don't doubt it. It's just... I just... I don't like being- appearing... weak." I said as I sighed.

Jethro turned my head to look at him. "Catalina, the last thing you are is weak."

I gave a watery smile and sniffled again. I moved my head to place it back where it had been, when his hand on my face stopped me.

The kiss was subdued and tender and I could feel my heart melting.

When he pulled back though, what he said had my heart stopping.

"I love you Catalina."


End file.
